Patent Grant
9995606
(1.1), (2.1), (3.1)
The present invention relates to an indicator member made of translucent material which becomes luminous by receiving the light from a light source, an indicator unit having said indicator member and an indicator instrument having said indicator unit.
(4.1)
The present invention relates to an indicator member arranged to guide the light from a translucent indicator shaft to be luminous, an indicator unit having said indicator member and an indicator instrument having said indicator unit.
(1.2)
In general, a vehicle is mounted with a vehicle display device arranged to display a measured value such as vehicle speed and engine revolution number, and in many vehicles said vehicle display device is constituted of an indicator instrument. The indicator instrument includes a meter case which houses a dial plate having a surface provided with indexes such as scale marks and numbers, letters or symbols, an indicator unit positioned in front of said dial plate to point to the indexes on the dial plate, a drive device which rotates the indicator shaft at which said indicator unit is attached in accordance with measured quantity, and a circuit board on which a circuit pattern and an electronic component and such are provided and on which said drive device is fixed.
To allow the indicator unit provided at such indicator instrument to be easily visible in the dark place as well, various technologies are disclosed in which the indicator member constituting the indicator unit is made of translucent synthetic resin which is translucent material, and in which light is guided from a light source into the indicator member to make the indicator member to be luminous. For example, a light-emitting indicator disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is provided with a hollow reflection part having a reflection face which reflects a part of light from a light source toward a distal end of the indicator.
For example, an indicator instrument 901 which is partially shown in
The base part 940 of the indicator main body 931 includes a circular cylindrical base part main body 941 to be attached to a distal end of the indicator shaft 914 which also functions as a light guide member, and a light receiving part 942 arranged to receive light L from the light source 906 which is guided by the indicator shaft 914. The indicator part 950 of the indicator main body 931 is provided with a pointing part 951 and a rearward part 952 extending from the base part 940 toward a pointing direction S1 intersecting a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 914 and toward a rear end direction S2 which is opposite of the pointing direction S1, respectively. A hollow reflection part 960 is provided inside of the indicator part 950 near an upper end 941a of the base part main body 941 so as to penetrate through the indicator part 950 in a widthwise direction (i.e. a direction perpendicular to a plane of paper in
This hollow reflection part 960 is formed into a substantially triangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 961, a rear end direction reflection face 962 and a transmission face 963. Furthermore, a corner 960a is formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face 961 and the rear end direction reflection face 962 and is arranged at a location opposed to the light receiving part 942 of the base part 940. As shown in
The light L1 travels inside of the indicator part 951 toward the pointing direction S1 and exits from the upper face 953 adjacent to the pointing part 951, and the light L2 travels inside of the rearward part 952 toward the rear end direction S2 and exits from the upper face 953 adjacent to the rearward part 952, and the light L3 enters the transmission face 963 and then exits from the upper face 953 located above the hollow reflection part 960, by which the entire portion of the upper face 953 of the indicator part 950 becomes luminous. In
As shown in
Therefore, the section 963c with the highest brightness is also located to the rear end direction S2, thus the light entering near the transmission face end 963b located relatively near the section 963c can ensure the necessary brightness. However, the light entering near the transmission face end 963a located relatively distant from the section 963c is deficient in the brightness, causing a dark area D formed near an end on the pointing direction S1 side in a section R of the upper face 953 located above the hollow reflection part 960. Thus, as shown in
(2.2)
In general, a vehicle is mounted with a vehicle display device arranged to display measured value such as vehicle speed and engine revolution number, and in many vehicles said vehicle display device is constituted of an indicator instrument. The indicator instrument includes a meter case which houses a dial plate having a surface provided with indexes such as scale marks and numbers, letters or symbols, an indicator unit positioned in front of said dial plate to point to the indexes on the dial plate, a drive device which rotates the indicator shaft at which said indicator unit is attached in accordance with the measured quantity, and a circuit board on which a circuit pattern and an electronic component and such are provided and on which said drive device is fixed.
To allow the indicator unit provided at such indicator instrument to be easily visible in the dark place as well, various technologies are disclosed in which the indicator member constituting the indicator unit is made of translucent synthetic resin which is translucent material, and in which light is guided from a light source into the indicator member to make the indicator member to become luminous. For example, a light-emitting indicator disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is provided with a hollow reflection part having a reflection face which reflects a part of light from a light source toward a distal end of the indicator.
For example, an indicator instrument 901 which is partially shown in
The base part 940 of the indicator main body 931 includes a circular cylindrical base part main body 941 to be attached to a distal end of the indicator shaft 914 which also functions as a light guide member, and a light receiving part 942 arranged to receive light L from the light source 906 which is guided by the indicator shaft 914. The indicator part 950 of the indicator main body 931 is provided with a pointing part 951 and a rearward part 952 extending from the base part 940 toward a pointing direction S1 intersecting a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 914 and toward a rear end direction S2 which is opposite of the pointing direction S1, respectively. A hollow reflection part 960 is provided inside of the indicator part 950 near an upper end 941a of the base part main body 941 so as to penetrate through the indicator part 950 in a widthwise direction (i.e. a direction perpendicular to a plane of paper in
This hollow reflection part 960 is formed into a substantially isosceles triangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 961, a rear end direction reflection face 962 and a transmission face 963, each formed into a flat surface. Furthermore, a corner 960a is formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face 961 and the rear end direction reflection face 962 and is arranged at a location opposed to the light receiving part 942 of the base part 940. As shown in
The light L1 travels inside of the indicator part 951 toward the pointing direction S1 and exits from a section R1 of the upper face 953 located adjacent to the pointing part 951, and the light L2 travels inside of the rearward part 952 toward the rear end direction S2 and exits from a section R2 of the upper face 953 located adjacent to the rearward part 952, and the light L3 enters the transmission face 963 and then exits from a section R3 of the upper face 953 located above the hollow reflection part 960, by which the entire portion of the upper face 953 of the indicator part 950 becomes luminous.
(3.2)
In general, a vehicle is mounted with a vehicle display device arranged to display measured value such as vehicle speed and engine revolution number, and in many vehicles said vehicle display device is constituted of an indicator instrument. The indicator instrument includes a meter case which houses a dial plate having a surface provided with indexes such as scale marks and numbers, letters or symbols, an indicator unit positioned in front of said dial plate to point to the indexes on the dial plate, a drive device which rotates the indicator shaft at which said indicator unit is attached in accordance with measured quantity, and a circuit board on which a circuit pattern and an electronic component and such are provided and on which said drive device is fixed.
To allow the indicator unit provided at such indicator instrument to be easily visible in the dark place as well, various technologies are disclosed in which the indicator member constituting the indicator unit is made of translucent synthetic resin which is translucent material, and in which light is guided from a light source into the indicator member to make the indicator member to be luminous. For example, a light-emitting indicator disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is provided with a hollow reflection part having a reflection face which reflects a part of light from a light source toward a distal end of the indicator.
For example, an indicator instrument 901 which is partially shown in
The base part 940 of the indicator main body 931 includes a circular cylindrical base part main body 941 to be attached to a distal end of the indicator shaft 914 which also functions as a light guide member, and a light receiving part 942 arranged to receive light L from the light source 906 which is guided by the indicator shaft 914. The indicator part 950 of the indicator main body 931 is provided with a pointing part 951 and a rearward part 952 extending from the base part 940 toward a pointing direction S1 intersecting a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 914 and toward a rear end direction S2 which is opposite of the pointing direction S1, respectively. A hollow reflection part 960 is provided inside of the indicator part 950 near an upper end 941a of the base part main body 941 so as to penetrate through the indicator part 950 in a widthwise direction (i.e. a direction perpendicular to a plane of paper in
This hollow reflection part 960 is formed into a substantially isosceles triangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 961, a rear end direction reflection face 962 and a transmission face 963. Furthermore, a corner 960a is formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face 961 and the rear end direction reflection face 962 and is arranged at a location opposed to the light receiving part 942 of the base part 940. As shown in
The light L1 travels inside of the indicator part 951 toward the pointing direction S1 and exits from an upper face 953a of the pointing part 951, and the light L2 travels inside of the rearward part 952 toward the rear end direction S2 and exits from an upper face 953b of the rearward part 952.
However, the light L1 reflected by the pointing direction reflection face 961 travels at an angle with respect to the pointing direction reflection face 961, thus less light travels along the pointing direction reflection face 961. Thus, there is a problem that amount of light exiting from the section R of the upper face 953a of the pointing part 951 near the hollow reflection part 960 becomes less, causing a dark area formed at this section R and thus causing non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face 953.
A indicator member 811 disclosed in Patent Literature 2 shown in
A rearward diffuse reflection face 811b3 is provided at a proximal portion of the base part 811a and the balance part 811b2. This rearward diffuse reflection face 811b3 is arranged to face to and substantially parallel to a rearward reflection face 811c2 of the hollow reflection part 811c such that the light reflected on the rearward reflection face 811c2 is reflected toward an upper face of the balance part 811b2. Thus, the above-mentioned problem can be solved by adjusting the rearward diffuse reflection face 811b3 to reflect the light toward a section of the upper face of the balance part 811b2 near the hollow reflection part 811c.
(4.2)
In general, a vehicle is mounted with a vehicle display device arranged to display measured value such as vehicle speed and engine revolution number, and in many vehicles said vehicle display device is constituted of an indicator instrument. The indicator instrument includes a meter case which houses a dial plate having a surface provided with indexes such as scale marks and numbers, letters or symbols, an indicator unit positioned in front of said dial plate to point to the indexes on the dial plate, a drive device which rotates the indicator shaft at which said indicator unit is attached in accordance with measured quantity, and a circuit board on which a circuit pattern and an electronic component and such are provided and on which said drive device is fixed.
To allow the indicator unit provided at such indicator instrument to be easily visible in the dark place as well, various technologies are disclosed in which the indicator member constituting the indicator unit is made of translucent synthetic resin which is translucent material, and in which light is guided from a light source into the indicator member to make the indicator member to be luminous. For example, a light-emitting indicator disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is provided with a hollow reflection part having a reflection face which reflects a part of light from a light source toward a distal end of the indicator. Furthermore, an instrument disclosed in Patent Literature 3 includes a translucent indicator shaft, and an indicator receives the light from the light source guided in the indicator shaft, and the indicator emits light by the received light.
For example, an indicator instrument 901 which is partially shown in
The base part 940 of the indicator main body 931 includes a shaft receiving part 941 arranged to guide the light from the light source 906 and arranged to be attached to a distal end of the indicator shaft 914, and a light receiving part 942 arranged to receive light L guided from the light source 906 by the indicator shaft 914 and exited from the distal end of the indicator shaft 914. The indicator part 950 of the indicator main body 931 is provided with a pointing part 951 and a rearward part 952 extending from the base part 940 toward a pointing direction S1 intersecting a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 914 and toward a rear end direction S2 which is opposite of the pointing direction S1, respectively. A hollow reflection part 960 is provided inside of the indicator part 950 near the light receiving part 942 of the base part main body 941 so as to penetrate through the indicator part 950 in a widthwise direction (i.e. a direction perpendicular to a plane of paper in
This hollow reflection part 960 is formed into a substantially triangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 961, a rear end direction reflection face 962 and a transmission face 963. Furthermore, a corner 960a is formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face 961 and the rear end direction reflection face 962 and is arranged at a location opposed to the base part 940. As shown in
Patent Literature 1: Japan Utility Model Application Publication No. H6-12995
Patent Literature 2: Japan Patent Application Publication No. H8-219820
Patent Literature 3: Japan Patent Application Publication No. 2002-98556
(1.3)
However, there is a problem that, when the light diffusing component and the filter member and such are provided to prevent the formation of the dark area D at the section R of the upper face 953 of the indicator part 950 located above the hollow reflection part 960 as described above, the number of components is increased and the man-hour for assembling is increased as well, causing an increase in the manufacturing cost of the indicator member.
The present invention aims to solve the problem mentioned above. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive indicator member which can prevent the formation of a dark area at a location above a reflection part, an indicator unit having said indicator member and an indicator instrument having said indicator unit.
(2.3)
Furthermore, as shown in
However, since the transmission face 963 is formed into a flat surface, when the light components L3′, L3″ enter the transmission face 963, the refraction angles θ2, θ4 become smaller than the incident angles θ1, θ3 as shown in
In other words, there is a problem that the spread angle (θ2+θ4) of the above-mentioned light L3 after entering the transmission face 963 becomes smaller than the spread angle (θ1+θ3) of the above-mentioned light L3 before entering the transmission face 963. Thus, the section R of the upper face 953 of the indicator part 950 becomes narrower, causing a decrease in amount of light exiting from a section R4 located at the upper face 953 and located at an extension of the pointing direction reflection face 961 (i.e. located between the section R1 and the section R3) and thus forming the dark area. Similarly, the dark area is formed at a section R5 located at the upper face 953 of the indicator part 950 and located at an extension of the rear end direction reflection face 962 (i.e. located between the section R2 and the section R3). Such problem can be prevented by inserting a light diffusing component 970 which is made of synthetic resin and such containing diffusing agent for transmitting and scattering the light and which is formed into a substantially same shape as the hollow reflection part 960, as shown in
The present invention aims to solve the problem mentioned above. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive indicator member which can prevent non-uniformity in brightness at an upper face of an indicator part, an indicator unit having said indicator member and an indicator instrument having said indicator unit.
(3.3)
However, if the indicator main body 931 mentioned above is provided with a diffuse reflection face which is similar to the rearward diffuse reflection face 811b3 shown in
The present invention aims to solve the problem mentioned above. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive indicator member which can prevent non-uniformity in brightness at an upper face of an indicator part without decreasing the brightness of the upper face of the indicator part, an indicator unit having said indicator member, and an indicator instrument having said indicator unit.
(4.3)
In
Furthermore, as shown in
Furthermore, there is another problem that, as shown in
Thus, in view of the above-described problem, an object of the present invention is to provide an indicator member, an indicator unit and an indicator instrument which can prevent formation of a dark area at an upper face near a reflection part of an indicator part of an indicator member fixed to a translucent indicator shaft.
(1.4)
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a first aspect, an indicator member made of translucent material and having a base part arranged to receive light from a light source, an indicator part extending from one end of the base part to each of a pointing direction and a rear end direction opposite of the pointing direction, and a reflection part provided at the indicator part and arranged at a location opposed to the base part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward the pointing direction and the rear end direction, wherein the reflection part includes a plurality of partial reflection parts arranged in parallel in a widthwise direction of the indicator part, wherein each of the plurality of partial reflection parts includes at least a pointing direction reflection face arranged to reflect a part of the light received at the base part toward the pointing direction and transmit another part of the light, a rear end direction reflection face connected to the pointing direction reflection face in an intersecting fashion and arranged to reflect a part of the light received at the base part toward the rear end direction and transmit another part of the light, and a corner formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face and arranged at a location opposed to the base part, and wherein the corners of the respective partial reflection parts located adjacent to each other are displaced in the pointing direction or the rear end direction.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a second aspect, the indicator member according to the first aspect wherein the reflection part is formed symmetric about a widthwise center of the indicator part.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a third aspect, the indicator member according to the first or second aspect wherein the reflection part includes a first partial reflection part, a second partial reflection part and a third partial reflection part, wherein the corner of the first partial reflection part and the corner of the third partial reflection part are displaced in the same fashion toward the rear end direction with respect to a center of the base part, and wherein the corner of the second partial reflection part is relatively displaced toward the pointing direction with respect to the corner of the first partial reflection part and the corner of the third partial reflection part.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a fourth aspect, an indicator unit including the indicator member described in any one of the first to third aspects, and a cover member arranged to cover the indicator part of the indicator member and having a slit though which the light from an upper face of the indicator part facing an opposite direction of the base part is passed.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a fifth aspect, an indicator instrument including the indicator unit described in the fourth aspect, a drive device arranged to rotate an indicator shaft to which the indicator unit is attached in accordance with measured quantity, and a light source which emits light to be received at the indicator member of the indicator unit.
(2.4)
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a sixth aspect, an indicator member made of translucent material and having a base part arranged to receive light from a light source, an indicator part extending from one end of the base part to each of a pointing direction and a rear end direction opposite of the pointing direction, and a hollow reflection part provided in the indicator part and arranged at a location opposed to the base part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward the pointing direction and the rear end direction, wherein the hollow reflection part includes a pointing direction reflection face arranged to reflect a part of the light received at the base part toward the pointing direction and transmit another part of the light, a rear end direction reflection face connected to the pointing direction reflection face in an intersecting fashion and arranged to reflect a part of the light received at the base part toward the rear end direction and transmit another part of the light, and a transmission face connected to each of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face in an intersecting fashion and arranged to face an upper face of the indicator part, and wherein the transmission face is formed into a convexly curved surface which is convex toward the upper face of the indicator part from one end connected to the pointing direction reflection face to another end connected to the rear end direction reflection face.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a seventh aspect, an indicator unit including the indicator member described in the sixth aspect, and a cover member arranged to cover the indicator part of the indicator member and having a slit through which the light from an upper face of the indicator part facing an opposite direction of the base part is passed.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in an eighth aspect, an indicator instrument including the indicator unit described in the seventh aspect, a drive device arranged to rotate an indicator shaft to which the indicator unit is attached in accordance with measured quantity, and a light source which emits light to be received at an indicator member of the indicator unit.
(3.4)
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a ninth aspect, an indicator member made of translucent material and having a base part arranged to receive light from a light source, an indicator part having a pointing part extending from one end of the base part to a pointing direction and a rearward part extending to a rear end direction opposite of the pointing direction, and a hollow reflection part provided in the indicator part and arranged at a location opposed to the base part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward the pointing direction and the rear end direction, wherein the hollow reflection part includes a pointing direction reflection face arranged to reflect a part of the light received at the base part toward the pointing direction and transmit another part of the light, a rear end direction reflection face connected to the pointing direction reflection face in an intersecting fashion and arranged to reflect a part of the light received at the base part toward the rear end direction and transmit another part of the light, and a transmission face connected to each of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face in an intersecting fashion, wherein a notch is provided at a bottom face of the pointing part facing the base part, and wherein the notch includes an upward reflection face arranged to reflect light reflected by the pointing direction reflection face toward a section of the upper face of the pointing part at opposite side of the bottom face, the section being adjacent to the hollow reflection part.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a tenth aspect, an indicator unit including the indicator member described in the ninth aspect, and a cover member arranged to cover the indicator part of the indicator member and having a slit through which the light from the upper face of the indicator part is passed, the upper face of the indicator part including an upper face of the pointing part.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a eleventh aspect, an indicator instrument including the indicator unit described in the tenth aspect, a drive device arranged to rotate an indicator shaft to which the indicator unit is attached in accordance with measured quantity, and a light source which emits light to be received at the indicator member of the indicator unit.
(4.4)
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a twelfth aspect, an indicator member made of translucent material and having a base part including a shaft receiving part attached to an end of an indicator shaft arranged to guide light from a light source, the base part being arranged to receive the light guided in the indicator shaft, a pointing part extending from one end of the base part to a pointing direction, and a pointing direction reflection face arranged at the pointing part adjacent to the base part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward a distal end of the pointing part, wherein a reflection part for indicator shaft is formed continuously from the base part to the pointing part so as to reflect light heading from the indicator shaft to outside of the base part toward an upper face of the pointing part adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a thirteenth aspect, the indicator member according to the twelfth aspect wherein the reflection part for indicator shaft includes a light guide part formed continuously from the base part to the pointing part and arranged to guide the light heading from the indicator shaft to outside of the base part, and a reflection face for indicator shaft arranged to reflect the light guided in the light guide part toward the upper face of the pointing part adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a fourteenth aspect, the indicator member according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect including a rearward part extending from one end of the base part to a rear end direction opposite of the pointing direction, and a rear end direction reflection face provided at the rearward part adjacent to the base part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward the rearward part, wherein the reflection part for indicator shaft is formed continuously from the base part to the rearward part so as to reflect light heading from the indicator shaft to outside of the base part toward an upper face of the rearward part adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a fifteenth aspect, an indicator member made of translucent material and having a base part including a shaft receiving part attached to an end of an indicator shaft arranged to guide light from a light source, the base part being arranged to receive the light guided in the indicator shaft, a pointing part extending from one end of the base part to a pointing direction, a rearward part extending from the one end of the base part to a rear end direction opposite of the pointing direction, a pointing direction reflection face arranged at the pointing part adjacent to the base part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward a distal end of the pointing part, and a rear end direction reflection face provided at the rearward part adjacent to the base part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward the rearward part, wherein a reflection part for indicator shaft is formed continuously from the base part to the rearward part so as to reflect light heading from the indicator shaft to outside of the base part toward an upper face of the rearward part adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a sixteenth aspect, the indicator member according to any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects wherein the reflection part for indicator shaft includes a plurality of partial reflection faces aligned in a widthwise direction of the indicator member.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a seventeenth aspect, an indicator unit including the indicator member described in any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects, and a cover member arranged to cover the indicator member and having a slit through which the light from an upper face of the indicator member is passed.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in an eighteenth aspect, the indicator unit according to the seventeenth aspect wherein the reflection part for indicator shaft of the indicator member includes a reflection face for slit projecting from the base part to the widthwise direction of the indicator member so as to reflect light heading from the indicator shaft to an inner face of the cover member toward a slit of the cover member adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a nineteenth aspect, an indicator unit including an indicator member made of translucent material and a cover member, wherein the indicator member includes a base part including a shaft receiving part attached to an end of an indicator shaft arranged to guide light from a light source, the base part being arranged to receive the light guided in the indicator shaft, a pointing part extending from one end of the base part to a pointing direction, and a pointing direction reflection face arranged at the pointing part adjacent to the base part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward a distal end of the pointing part, wherein the cover member is arranged to cover the indicator member and having a slit through which the light from an upper face of the indicator member is passed, and wherein the indicator unit further includes a reflection face for slit projecting from the base part to a widthwise direction of the indicator member so as to reflect light heading from the indicator shaft to an inner face of the cover member toward a slit of the cover member adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a twentieth aspect, the indicator unit according to the nineteenth aspect wherein the indicator member includes a rearward part extending from one end of the base part to a rear end direction opposite of the pointing direction, and a rear end direction reflection face provided at the rearward part adjacent to the base part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward the rearward part, wherein the reflection face for slit is arranged to reflect light heading from the indicator shaft to the inner face of the cover member toward a slit of the cover member adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides, in a twenty-first aspect, an indicator instrument including the indicator unit described in any one of the seventeenth to twentieth aspects, a drive device having the indicator shaft to which the indicator unit is attached, the drive device being arranged to rotate the indicator shaft in accordance with measured quantity, and a light source which emits light to be guided in the indicator shaft of the drive device.
(1.5)
According to the invention described in the first to fifth aspects, the reflection part provided at the indicator part of the indicator member includes the plurality of partial reflection parts including at least the pointing direction reflection face, the rear end direction reflection face and the corner formed at the intersection of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face and arranged at the location opposed to the base part, wherein the corners of the respective partial reflection parts located adjacent to each other are displaced in the pointing direction or the rear end direction. Thus, the corners at which the brightness of the light transmitted through the pointing direction reflection face or the rear end direction reflection face are not concentrated at one location but are dispersed in the pointing direction and in the rear end direction. Therefore, even if the corner of one of the partial reflection parts is arranged toward the rear end direction to reflect more light toward the pointing direction, the corners of the other ones of the partial reflection parts are displaced toward the pointing direction so as to be placed near the end at the pointing direction side and the end at the rear end direction side of an upper region of the reflection part. Therefore, the brightness near the both ends of this region can be maintained, thereby preventing a dark area from being formed at a location above the reflection part at a low cost without providing a light diffusing member or the like.
According to the invention described in the second aspect, the reflection part is formed symmetric about the widthwise center of the indicator part, thereby preventing non-uniformity in the brightness in the widthwise direction.
(2.5)
According to the invention described in the sixth to eighth aspects, the hollow reflection part provided at the indicator part of the indicator member includes the pointing direction reflection face, the rear end direction reflection face and the transmission face, and this transmission face is formed into the convexly curved surface which is convex toward the upper face of the indicator part from one end connected to the pointing direction reflection face to another end connected to the rear end direction reflection face. Thus, for the light which has transmitted through each of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face, the incidence angle of this light with respect to the transmission face is adjusted such that the light is refracted so that the spread angle of the light which has entered the transmission face is increased compared to said spread angle in the case of the transmission face formed into the flat surface. Therefore, by adjusting the shape of the transmission face and optimizing the spread angle of the light can prevent the dark area from being formed near the location at the upper face of the indicator part and at the extension of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face, thereby preventing non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face of the indicator part at a low cost without providing a light diffusing member or the like.
(3.5)
According to the invention described in the ninth to eleventh aspects, the indicator member includes the notch provided at the bottom face of the pointing part facing the base part, and the notch includes the upward reflection face which reflects the light reflected by the pointing direction reflection face toward the section of the upper face of the pointing part at opposite side of the bottom face, the section being adjacent to the hollow reflection part. Thus, without making the pointing part to be thin since the notch is formed into the notched shape, the light reflected by the pointing direction reflection face can be reflected toward the upper face of the pointing part by the upward reflection face of the notch. Thus, the amount of light exiting from said section can be increased, thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at said section and preventing the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face of the indicator part.
(4.5)
According to the invention described in the twelfth aspect, the reflection part for indicator shaft is formed continuously from the base part to the pointing part so as to reflect the light heading from the indicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving part of the base part to the outside of the base part toward the upper face of the pointing part adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face. Thus, the light leaking from the base part to the outside of the indicator member can be reduced, and this light can be guided toward the upper face of the pointing part near the end of the pointing direction reflection face, thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face of the pointing part. Therefore, the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face (i.e. the light-emitting face) of the indicator member can be prevented, and the lighting quality can be improved. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide the light diffusing component for preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face of the pointing part at the pointing direction reflection face, the number of components can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the indicator member.
In addition to the effect of the invention of the twelfth aspect, according to the invention described in the thirteenth aspect, the reflection part for indicator shaft includes the light guide part and the reflection face for indicator shaft, thus the light heading from the indicator shaft to the outside of the pointing part can be guided by the light guide part toward the pointing part and the reflection face for indicator shaft. Thus, the light leaking from the base part to the outside of the indicator member can be reduced even more.
In addition to the effect of the invention of the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, according to the invention described in the fourteenth aspect, the reflection part for indicator shaft is formed continuously from the base part to the rearward part so as to reflect light heading from the indicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving part of the base part to the outside of the base part toward the upper face of the rearward part adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face. Thus, the light leaking from the base part to the outside of the indicator member can be reduced, and this light can be guided toward the upper face of the rearward part near the end of the rear end direction reflection face, thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face of the rearward part. Therefore, the non-uniformity in the brightness can be prevented from being produced at the upper face of the indicator member from the distal end of the pointing part to the rear end of the rearward part, thereby allowing the upper face of the indicator member to emit light with uniform brightness.
According to the invention described in the fifteenth aspect, the reflection part for indicator shaft is formed continuously from the base part to the rearward part so as to reflect the light heading from the indicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving part of the base part to the outside of the base part toward the upper face of the rearward part adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face. Thus, the light leaking from the base part to the outside of the indicator member can be reduced, and this light can be guided toward the upper face of the rearward part near the end of the rear end direction reflection face, thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face of the rearward part. Therefore, the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face (i.e. the light-emitting face) of the indicator member can be prevented, and the lighting quality can be improved. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide the light diffusing component for preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face of the pointing part at the pointing direction reflection face, the number of components can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the indicator member.
In addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects, according to the invention described in the sixteenth aspect, the reflection part for indicator shaft includes the plurality of partial reflection faces aligned in the widthwise direction of the indicator member. Therefore, various reflection faces having the different shapes can be combined, thus the light from the indicator shaft toward the outside of the base part can be reflected toward the upper face of the indicator member adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face even more reliably.
According to the invention described in the seventeenth aspect, the indicator member which prevents the dark area from being formed at the upper face of the pointing part is covered by the cover member, and the upper face of the pointing part is exposed from the slit of the cover member. Thus, the entire slit can emit light with the uniform brightness, thereby improving the lighting quality. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide the diffusing component for preventing the dark area from being formed at the pointing direction reflection face, the number of components can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the indicator unit.
In addition to the effect of the invention described in the seventeenth aspect, according to the invention described in the eighteenth aspect, the reflection face for slit is formed to project from the base part to the widthwise direction of the indicator member so as to reflect the light heading from the indicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving part of the base part to the inner face of the cover member toward the slit of the cover member adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face. Thus, the brightness of the slit adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face can be prevented from being low, thereby allowing the entire slit to emit light with the uniform brightness even more reliably.
According to the invention described in the nineteenth aspect, the light heading from the indicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving part of the base part to the inner face of the cover member is reflected by the reflection face for slit toward the slit of the cover member adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face. Thus, even if the dark area is formed at the upper face of the pointing part, the light from the reflection face for slit can be directed to exit from the slit located adjacent to this dark area to the outside. Thus, the entire slit from the distal end of the pointing part to the rear end of the rearward part can emit light with the uniform brightness, thereby improving the lighting quality. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide the diffusing component for preventing the dark area from being formed at the pointing direction reflection face, the number of components can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the indicator unit.
In addition to the effect of the invention described in the nineteenth aspect, according to the invention described in the twentieth aspect, the light heading from the indicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving part of the base part to the inner face of the cover member is reflected by the reflection face for slit toward the slit of the cover member adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face. Thus, even if the dark area is formed at the upper face of the rearward part, the light from the reflection face for slit can be directed to exit from the slit located adjacent to this dark area to the outside. Thus, the entire slit from the distal end of the pointing part to the rear end of the rearward part can emit light with the uniform brightness, thereby improving the lighting quality. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide the diffusing component for preventing the formation of the dark area at the rear end direction reflection face, the number of components can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the indicator unit.
According to the invention described in the twenty-first aspect, the indicator unit described in any one of the seventeenth to twentieth aspects, the indicator unit which prevents the dark area from being formed at the upper face of the pointing part of the indicator member is rotated by the drive device, and the indicator unit is made luminous by the light from the light source guided in the indicator shaft of the drive device. Thus, the entire slit of the indicator unit can emit light with the uniform brightness, thereby improving the lighting quality. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide the diffusing component for preventing the formation of the dark area at the pointing direction reflection face, the number of components can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the indicator unit.
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(1.8)
In the following, a vehicle display device as one embodiment of an indicator instrument according to the present invention is explained in reference to
In
The dial plate 2 is a member formed into a substantially circular plate shape made of transparent or semi-transparent synthetic resin such as polycarbonate, for example. The surface 2a of the dial plate 2 includes a light-blocking region at which light-blocking ink is printed, and an index as a translucent design formed by removing (or not printing) the light-blocking ink along a shape of a letter and a scale and such. Each index becomes luminous and visible by being irradiated from a back side of the dial plate 2 by the later-described light source 6.
The indicator 3 is arranged adjacent to the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 and is arranged to point to the respective indexes provided at the dial plate 2, thereby displaying a measured value in cooperation with the respective indexes. As shown in
As shown in
The base part 40 includes a circular cylindrical base part main body 41 and a light receiving part 42 arranged at an inner side of the base part main body 41 and arranged adjacent to an upper end 41a. The base part main body 41 is fixed to an indicator shaft 14 in a coaxial fashion by inserting and fitting the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 into a lower end 41b. Thus, a center of the base part main body 41 coincides with a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. The light receiving part 42 is formed into a flat surface having a circular shape identical to the inner side of the base part main body 41 so that when the indicator shaft 14 is fitted to the base part main body 41, the light receiving part 42 is arranged to face to an end face 14a of the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 with an interval. Of course, the shape of the light receiving part 42 is not limited to the flat surface and may be a curved surface, a shape formed by combining several faces, or any other shape which can receive the light from the light source. In addition, the light receiving part 42 may be arranged in close contact with the end face 14a of the indicator shaft 14.
The indicator part 50 is connected to an upper end 41a of the base part main body 41 (i.e. one end of the base part 40). The indicator part 50 includes a pointing part 51 extending from the upper end 41a to one direction (i.e. a pointing direction S1) which is perpendicular (or substantially perpendicular) to the shaft center P, and a rearward part 52 extending to the other direction (i.e. a rear end direction S2) which is opposite of said one direction and extending shorter than the pointing part 51, with a boundary at the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. In other words, the indicator part 50 extends from the upper end 41a of the base part main body 41 to each of the pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2. The pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2 match with or substantially match with a radial direction of the indicator shaft 14. The pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2 correspond to a longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50. Furthermore, the indicator part 50 is provided with a hollow reflection part 60 as a reflection part.
A bottom face 54, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 facing the base part 40, is provided with a reflection layer 54a which is overlapped to the bottom face 54 and colored in white or silver, for example, using a hot stamping or the like so as to reflect the light entering the bottom face 54 from inside of the indicator part 50. An upper face 53, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 at opposite side of the bottom face 54, is provided with a diffusion layer 53a which is overlapped to the upper face 53 and colored in red, for example, using a hot stamping or the like so as to diffuse the light exiting from the upper face 53. Alternatively, the reflection layer 54a and the diffusion layer 53a may be formed at the bottom face 54 and the upper face 53 by forming embossment or fine prism structure. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reflection layer 54a is provided only at the bottom face 54 adjacent to the pointing part 51; however, a similar reflection layer 54a may be provided also to the bottom face 54 adjacent to the rearward part 52. In the following description, the term “bottom face 54” indicates the surface of the indicator part 50 adjacent to the base part 40 including the reflection layer 54a, and the term “upper face 53” indicates the surface of the indicator part 50 at the opposite side of the bottom face 54 including the diffusion layer 53a. Also, the bottom face 54 and the reflection layer 54a, as well as the upper face 53 and the diffusion layer 53a are described distinctively only when necessary. In addition, only one of the reflection layer 54a and the diffusion layer 53a may be provided.
As shown in
The first partial reflection part 61 is formed into a substantially triangular shape and includes a pointing direction reflection face 611, a rear end direction reflection face 612 and a transmission face 613, each being formed into a substantially flat surface.
The pointing direction reflection face 611 is arranged such that one end thereof at a lower side in the drawing is located adjacent to the base part 40. The pointing direction reflection face 611 is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in a direction of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upper direction in
The rear end direction reflection face 612 has one end intersecting with and connected to the one end of the pointing direction reflection face 611 in an intersecting fashion. The rear end direction reflection face 612 is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in a direction of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upper direction in
The transmission face 613 is arranged such that one end thereof is connected to the other end of the pointing direction reflection face 611 located adjacent to an upper side in the drawing, and the other end of the transmission face 613 is connected to the other end of the rear end direction reflection face 612 located adjacent to the upper side in the drawing. That is, the transmission face 613 is connected to each of the pointing direction reflection face 611 and the rear end direction reflection face 612. The transmission face 613 is arranged to face the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50. The transmission face 613 and the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 are substantially parallel to each other. Furthermore, a center of the transmission face 613 in longitudinal direction (i.e. a left-right direction in
The pointing direction reflection face 611 is formed larger (i.e. longer in a longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50) than the rear end direction reflection face 612. Thus, a corner 61a, which is formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face 611 and the rear end direction reflection face 612, is located toward the rear end direction S2 with respect to the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14.
In the same way as the first partial reflection part 61, the second partial reflection part 62 is formed into a substantially isosceles triangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 621, a rear end direction reflection face 622 and a transmission face 623. The pointing direction reflection face 621 and the rear end direction reflection face 622 of the second partial reflection part 62 are formed into the same size (i.e. the same length in the longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50). When seen from the widthwise direction of the indicator part 50, the second partial reflection part 62 is smaller than the partial reflection part 61 such that the second partial reflection part 62 is entirely housed within the outer shape of the first partial reflection part 61. A corner 62a, which is formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face 621 and the rear end direction reflection face 622, is located on the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14.
The third partial reflection part 63 is formed into a substantially triangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 631, a rear end direction reflection face 632 and a transmission face 633 and is formed into the same shape as the first partial reflection part 61. When seen from the widthwise direction of the indicator part 50, the third partial reflection part 63 is located so as to overlap identically with the first partial reflection part 61.
For these multiple partial reflection parts 61, 62, 63, the respective corners 61a, 62a, 63a are arranged adjacent to the light receiving part 42 of the base part 40. Also, as shown in
The hollow reflection part 60 is formed such that one section (i.e. a frontward section in the plane of paper in
The hollow reflection part 60 and the multiple partial reflection parts 61, 62, 63 are not limited to the shape and arrangement described above. For example, i) the hollow reflection part 60 may be provided with more than three partial reflection parts, ii) all of the corners 61a, 62a, 63a of the respective multiple partial reflection parts 61, 62, 63 may be displaced toward the pointing direction S1 or toward the rear end direction S2, e.g. in
The indicator main body 31 reflects and transmits the light received at the light receiving part 42 of the base part 40 by the hollow reflection part 60 and guides the light in the indicator part 50 to exit from the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50. By doing so, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 emits light, and thus the upper face 53 becomes luminous and visible through a slit 71 of the cover member 32.
As shown in
The upper cover 33 includes a first cover portion 34 formed into a substantially rectangular tube shape which gets gradually thinner from a rear end 34b toward a distal end 34a in accordance with the outer shape of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31, and a second cover portion 35 formed into a circular dish covering around the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31. The first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 are arranged to open downward in the drawing, and the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 is housed inside from this opening.
An upper wall portion 34c of the first cover portion 34 is provided with the slit 71 extending from the rear end 34b to the distal end 34a. When the indicator main body 31 and the cover member 32 are attached together, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 is exposed from this slit 71 in a straight line fashion throughout in the longitudinal direction of the upper face 53. In other words, the slit 71 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50. The length and the width of the slit 71 may be designed arbitrarily in accordance with the design of the indicator 3, for example. Furthermore, a translucent coloring member or a light diffusing member may be provided in the slit 71, for example, as long as the slit 71 is arranged to pass the light exited from the upper face of the indicator part 50 therethrough. Furthermore, an inner face of the second cover portion 35 is provided with a pair of bosses (not shown) which is formed to protrude downward in the drawing and arranged to fit to a pair of fitting holes 38d of the lower cover 38.
The lower cover 38 includes an annular plate-shaped first cover section 38a formed in accordance with the shape of the opening of the second cover portion 35 of the upper cover 33, a strip-shaped second cover section 38b radially extending from the first cover section 38a and formed in accordance with the shape of the opening at the distal end side portion of the first cover portion 34 of the upper cover 33 which houses the pointing part 51 of the indicator part 50, a penetrating part 38c provided at the first cover section 38a and arranged to pass the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 therethrough, the pair of fitting holes 38d arranged at the first cover section 38a in accordance with the pair of bosses of the upper cover 33, and an attachment boss 38e at which the balance member 39 is attached. When attached to the upper cover 33, the lower cover 38 covers the openings of the first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 to form a space for housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 with the upper cover 33. By housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 in this housing space, the light exited from the surface of the bottom face 54 and such of the indicator part 50 is prevented from irradiating the dial plate 2 and such.
The balance member 39 is formed to have weight which is set in view of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31. The balance member 39 includes a fitting hole 39a arranged to fit to the attachment boss 38e provided at the lower cover 38 of the cover member 32. The balance member 39 is positioned by the attachment boss 38e and housed in the cover member 32.
The indicator 3 having the above-described structure may be assembled as explained below. Firstly, the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 is passed through the penetrating part 38c of the lower cover 38 to install the indicator main body 31 to the lower cover 38 and install the balance member 39 to the lower cover 38. Then, the upper cover 33 is moved closer to the indicator main body 31 from the side of the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 so as to cover the indicator main body 31, and the pair of boss provided in the second cover of the upper cover 33 is fitted into the pair of fitting holes 38d of the lower cover 38, by which the upper cover 33 and the lower cover 38 are fixed to each other so that the indicator main body 31 is housed in the cover member 32, and the assembling is completed.
The drive device 4 is a known stepping motor. The drive device 4 includes the indicator shaft 14 formed into a substantially circular cylindrical shape and made of translucent synthetic resin such as polycarbonate resin and a main body portion 15 arranged to rotatably support the indicator shaft 14 and rotate the indicator shaft 14 on the principle of the stepping motor in accordance with measured quantity of speed obtained by a speed sensor not shown. A bottom face 15a of the main body portion 15 placed over the later-described circuit board 5 is provided with a recessed portion 15b, and an end face 14b of the indicator shaft 14 at the lower side in the drawing is exposed in this recessed portion 15b. The base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 described above is attached to the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 at the upper side in the drawing. The indicator shaft 14 is arranged to rotate the indicator main body 31 and function as the light guide member to guide the light to the base part 40.
The circuit board 5 is a known printed board provided for example with electronic components and a wiring pattern which electrically connects these electronic components and such. A surface of the circuit board 5 facing the dial plate 2 is mounted with the drive device 4 and the plurality of light sources 6.
The plurality of light sources 6 includes a LED, a bulb and such and is controlled to light up and out by a control unit not shown provided at the circuit board 5. The plurality of light sources 6 emits light to illuminate the indexes of the dial plate 2 and the indicator main body 31 of the indicator 3 and such. Furthermore, one of the plurality of light sources 6 is arranged in the recessed portion 15b of the main body portion 15 of the drive device 4 so as to face the end face 14b of the indicator shaft 14. In this manner, the indicator shaft 14 guides the light which has entered this end face 14b from the light source 6 and directs the light to exit from the end face 14a at the distal end of the indicator shaft 14.
The case 7 includes a reflection face which is a tapered face, i.e. a surface of the tapered portion 7a, so that the light emitted from the light source 6 is reflected toward the dial plate 2. In this manner, the respective indexes provided on the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 emit light. The back cover 8 is attached to the case 7 so as to cover the back of the circuit board 5. The front glass 9 is arranged to cover the dial plate 2 and the indicator 3 and such and attached to the case 7 via an end member 10 using a fixation means not shown such as a latch claw. The back cover 8 and the front glass 9 prevent dust and such from entering inside of the vehicle display device 1.
Next, an example of operation (action) of the indicator (light-emitting indicator) 3 according to the present invention having the above-described structure is explained with reference to
In this embodiment, the hollow reflection part 60 provided at the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 includes the first partial reflection part 61, the second partial reflection part 62 and the third partial reflection part 63 which are formed into a substantial triangular shape, respectively, and which are arranged in parallel in order of the first partial reflection part 61, the second partial reflection part 62 and the third partial reflection part 63 in the widthwise direction of the indicator part 50. For the transmission face 613 of the first partial reflection part 61, a section of the transmission face 613 located right above the corner 61a has the highest brightness. This is the same for the second partial reflection part 62 and the third partial reflection part 63.
For these multiple partial reflection parts 61, 62, 63, the corner 61a of the first partial reflection part 61 and the corner 63a of the third partial reflection part 63 are located toward the rear end direction S2 with respect to the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 4, and, the corner 62a of the second partial reflection part 62 is displaced toward the pointing direction S1 relatively with respect to the corner 61a of the first partial reflection part 61 and the corner 63a of the third partial reflection part 63. Thus, the sections of the respective transmission faces 613, 623, 633 at which the brightness becomes highest are spread in the pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2. Thus, such arrangement avoids all of the corners 61a, 62a, 63a to be located distant from ends of the respective transmission faces 613, 623, 633 in the pointing direction S1, and, among the light entering the respective transmission faces 613, 623, 633, the light with the high brightness and the light with the low brightness are arranged adjacent to each other, thereby ensuring the brightness of the light L3 entering around the ends in the pointing direction S1 and the ends in the rear end direction of the respective transmission faces 613, 623, 633, as illustrated in
Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the respective corners 61a, 62a, 63a being arranged in a displaced fashion, longitudinal centers of the respective transmission faces 613, 623, 633 are located on the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14, and the corner 62a of partial reflection portion 62 having the substantial isosceles triangular shape located at the widthwise center of the indicator part 50 is located on the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. Thus, the brightness in the above-described region R varies generally symmetrically about the shaft center P from a longitudinal center to both ends of the region R.
As described above, in the present invention, the hollow reflection part 60 provided at the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 includes the multiple partial reflection parts 61, 62, 63 having at least the pointing direction reflection face, the rear end direction reflection face and the corner formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face and is arranged at a location opposed to the base part. Also, the corners 61a, 62a, 63a of the partial reflection parts located adjacent to each other are arranged so as to be displaced in the pointing direction S1 or in the rear end direction S2. Thus, the corners 61a, 62a, 63a, which provide high brightness of the light transmitted through the pointing direction reflection face or the rear end direction reflection face, are not concentrated in one place but are spread in the pointing direction S1 or the rear end direction S2. That is, if the corners 61a, 63a of some partial reflection part 61, 63 are located toward the rear end direction S2 in order to reflect more light toward the pointing direction S1, then the corner 62a of the other partial reflection part 62 is located so as to be displaced toward the pointing direction S1. Thus, the corner 62a is located near the end in the pointing direction S1 of the region R above the hollow reflection part 60, and the corners 61a, 63a are located near the end in the rear end direction S2 of the region R above the hollow reflection part 60, thereby ensuring the brightness at near the both ends of the region R and preventing the dark area from being formed at a location above the hollow reflection part 60 inexpensively without providing the light diffusing member or the like.
Furthermore, since the hollow reflection part 60 is formed symmetrically about the widthwise center of the indicator part 50, the non-uniformity in the brightness in the widthwise direction can be prevented.
In this embodiment, the terms for indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front and rear are used for purpose of explaining the arrangement of operation of the respective components of the vehicle display device 1, the light-emitting indicator 3 and the indicator main body 31, and thus are used in a relative manner not in an absolute manner. These terms are suitable when the vehicle display device 1, the light-emitting indicator 3, the indicator main body 31 and components thereof are in the shown position. However, when their positions are changed, then these terms should be interpreted differently in accordance with the change in the position.
Furthermore, the shape of the partial reflection part 61, 62, 63 (e.g. the size and thickness of the pointing direction reflection face, the rear end direction reflection face and the transmission face as well as the position of the corner) is not limited to the above-described configuration and may be in any shape without departing from the object of the present invention and as long as the partial reflection part includes at least the pointing direction reflection face, the rear end direction reflection face and the corner formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face. For example, the partial reflection part may have a fan-like shape formed by a flat-shaped pointing direction reflection face, a flat-shaped rear end direction reflection face and a curved transmission face which is curved so as to swell toward an upper face of the indicator part. Alternatively, in
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the base part 40 is constituted of the base part main body 41 attached to the indicator shaft 14 and the light receiving part 42 which receives the light from the light source 6 guided by the indicator shaft 14; however, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in
Moreover, although this embodiment is described in relation to the vehicle display device as the speed meter, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to an indicator device other than the speed meter such as an engine revolution counter and a fuel level meter, or alternatively, the present invention may be applied for example to an industrial indicator device other than the vehicle display device such as an indicator used for measurement of gas pressure or temperature in a factory. As such, the present invention may be used in any application and any device without departing from the object of the present invention.
The embodiment described above is only representative embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. That is, the present invention can be modified in various ways and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.
(2.8)
In the following, a vehicle display device as one embodiment of an indicator instrument according to the present invention is explained in reference to
In
The dial plate 2 is a member formed into a substantially circular plate shape made of transparent or semi-transparent synthetic resin such as polycarbonate, for example. The surface 2a of the dial plate 2 includes a light-blocking region not shown at which light-blocking ink is printed, and an index not shown as a translucent design formed by removing (or not printing) the light-blocking ink along a shape of a letter, a scale and such. Each index becomes luminous and visible by being irradiated from a back side of the dial plate 2 by the later-described light source 6.
The indicator 3 is arranged adjacent to the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 and is arranged to point to the respective indexes provided at the dial plate 2, thereby displaying a measured value in cooperation with the respective indexes. As shown in
As shown in
The base part 40 includes a circular cylindrical base part main body 41 and a light receiving part 42 arranged at an inner side of the base part main body 41 and arranged adjacent to an upper end 41a. The base part main body 41 is fixed to an indicator shaft 14 in a coaxial fashion by inserting and fitting the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 into a lower end 41b. Thus, a center of the base part main body 41 coincides with a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. The light receiving part 42 is formed into a flat surface having a circular shape identical to the inner side of the base part main body 41 so that when the indicator shaft 14 is fitted to the base part main body 41, the light receiving part 42 is arranged to face to an end face 14a of the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 with an interval. Of course, the shape of the light receiving part 42 is not limited to the flat surface and may be a curved surface, a shape formed by combining several faces, or any other shape which can receive the light from the light source. In addition, the light receiving part 42 may be arranged in close contact with the end face 14a of the indicator shaft 14.
The indicator part 50 is formed continuous with an upper end 41a of the base part main body 41 (i.e. one end of the base part 40). The indicator part 50 includes a pointing part 51 extending from the upper end 41a to one direction (i.e. a pointing direction S1) which is perpendicular (or substantially perpendicular) to the shaft center P, and a rearward part 52 extending to the other direction (i.e. a rear end direction S2) which is opposite of said one direction and extending shorter than the pointing part 51, with a boundary at the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. In other words, the indicator part 50 extends from the upper end 41a of the base part main body 41 to each of the pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2. The pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2 match with (or substantially match with) a radial direction of the indicator shaft 14. The pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2 correspond to a longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50. Furthermore, the indicator part 50 is provided with a hollow reflection part 60 as a reflection part.
A bottom face 54, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 facing the base part 40, is provided with a reflection layer 54a which is overlapped to the bottom face 54 and colored in white or silver, for example, using a hot stamping or the like so as to reflect the light entering the bottom face 54 from inside of the indicator part 50. An upper face 53, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 at opposite side of the bottom face 54, is provided with a diffusion layer 53a which is overlapped to the upper face 53 and colored in red, for example, using a hot stamping or the like so as to diffuse the light exiting from the upper face 53. Alternatively, the reflection layer 54a and the diffusion layer 53a may be formed at the bottom face 54 and the upper face 53 by forming embossment or fine prism structure. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reflection layer 54a is provided only at the bottom face 54 and arranged adjacent to the pointing part 51; however, a similar reflection layer 54a may be provided also at the bottom face 54 and arranged adjacent to the rearward part 52. In the following description, the term “bottom face 54” indicates the surface of the indicator part 50 adjacent to the base part 40 including the reflection layer 54a, and the term “upper face 53” indicates the surface of the indicator part 50 at the opposite side of the bottom face 54 including the diffusion layer 53a. Also, the bottom face 54 and the reflection layer 54a, as well as the upper face 53 and the diffusion layer 53a are described distinctively only when necessary. In addition, only one of the reflection layer 54a and the diffusion layer 53a may be provided.
As shown in
As shown in
The rear end direction reflection face 62 is formed into a substantially flat surface. The rear end direction reflection face 62 has one end connected to the one end of the pointing direction reflection face 61 and is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in a direction of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upper direction in
The transmission face 63 is arranged to face the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 and is formed into a curved surface so that a cross-section of the transmission face 63 along the longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50 (i.e. the pointing direction S1) is formed into a smooth curved line which is convex in a direction away from the corner 60a. That is, the transmission face 63 is formed into a concave lens shape. The transmission face 63 has one end connected to the upper other end of the pointing direction reflection face 61 so as to intersect to the pointing direction reflection face 61 and has the other end connected to the upper other end of the rear end direction reflection face 62 so as to intersect with the rear end direction reflection face 62. In other words, the transmission face 63 is formed into a convexly curved surface which is convex toward the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 from the one end of the transmission face 63 connected to the pointing direction reflection face 61 to the other end of the transmission face 63 connected to the rear end direction reflection face 62. A longitudinal center of the indicator part 50 of the transmission face 63 is positioned on the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. Of course, the shape of the transmission face 63 is not limited to the concave lens shape, and the arrangement of the transmission face 63 is not limited to the above-described arrangement.
The indicator main body 31 reflects and transmits the light received at the light receiving part 42 of the base part 40 by the hollow reflection part 60 and guides the light in the indicator part 50 to exit from the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50. By doing so, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 emits light, and thus the upper face 53 becomes luminous and visible through a slit 71 of the cover member 32.
As shown in
The upper cover 33 includes a first cover portion 34 formed into a substantially rectangular tube shape which gets gradually thinner from a rear end 34b toward a distal end 34a in accordance with the outer shape of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31, and a second cover portion 35 formed into a circular dish covering around the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31. The first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 are arranged to open downward in the drawing, and the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 is housed inside from this opening.
An upper wall portion 34c of the first cover portion 34 is provided with the slit 71 extending from the rear end 34b to the distal end 34a. When the indicator main body 31 and the cover member 32 are attached together, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 is exposed from this slit 71 in a straight line fashion throughout in the longitudinal direction of the upper face 53. In other words, the slit 71 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50. The length and the width of the slit 71 may be designed arbitrarily in accordance with the design of the indicator 3, for example. Furthermore, a translucent coloring member or a light diffusing member may be provided in the slit 71, for example, as long as the slit 71 is arranged to pass the light exited from the upper face of the indicator part 50 therethrough. Furthermore, an inner face of the second cover portion 35 is provided with a pair of bosses (not shown) which is formed to protrude downward in the drawing and arranged to fit to a pair of fitting holes 38d of the lower cover 38.
The lower cover 38 includes an annular plate-shaped first cover section 38a formed in accordance with the shape of the opening of the second cover portion 35 of the upper cover 33, a strip-shaped second cover section 38b radially extending from the first cover section 38a and formed in accordance with the shape of the opening at the distal end side portion of the first cover portion 34 of the upper cover 33 which houses the pointing part 51 of the indicator part 50, a penetrating part 38c provided at the first cover section 38a and arranged to pass the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 therethrough, the pair of fitting holes 38d arranged at the first cover section 38a in accordance with the pair of bosses of the upper cover 33, and an attachment boss 38e at which the balance member 39 is attached. When attached to the upper cover 33, the lower cover 38 covers the openings of the first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 to form a space for housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 with the upper cover 33. By housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 in this housing space, the light exited from the surface of the bottom face 54 and such of the indicator part 50 is prevented from irradiating the dial plate 2 and such.
The balance member 39 is formed to have weight which is set in view of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31. The balance member 39 includes a fitting hole 39a arranged to fit to the attachment boss 38e provided at the lower cover 38 of the cover member 32. The balance member 39 is positioned by the attachment boss 38e and housed in the cover member 32.
The indicator 3 having the above-described structure may be assembled as explained below. Firstly, the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 is passed through the penetrating part 38c of the lower cover 38 to install the indicator main body 31 to the lower cover 38 and install the balance member 39 to the lower cover 38. Then, the upper cover 33 is moved closer to the indicator main body 31 from the side of the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 so as to cover the indicator main body 31, and the pair of boss provided in the second cover of the upper cover 33 is fitted into the pair of fitting holes 38d of the lower cover 38, by which the upper cover 33 and the lower cover 38 are fixed to each other so that the indicator main body 31 is housed in the cover member 32, and the assembling is completed.
The drive device 4 is a known stepping motor. The drive device 4 includes the indicator shaft 14 formed into a substantially circular cylindrical shape and made of translucent synthetic resin such as polycarbonate resin and a main body portion 15 arranged to rotatably support the indicator shaft 14 and rotate the indicator shaft 14 on the principle of the stepping motor in accordance with measured quantity of speed obtained by a speed sensor not shown. A bottom face 15a of the main body portion 15 placed over the later-described circuit board 5 is provided with a recessed portion 15b, and an end face 14b of the indicator shaft 14 at the lower side in the drawing is exposed in this recessed portion 15b. The base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 described above is attached to the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 at the upper side in the drawing. The indicator shaft 14 is arranged to rotate the indicator main body 31 and function as the light guide member to guide the light to the base part 40.
The circuit board 5 is a known printed board provided for example with electronic components and a wiring pattern which electrically connects these electronic components and such. A surface of the circuit board 5 facing the dial plate 2 is mounted with the drive device 4 and the plurality of light sources 6.
The plurality of light sources 6 includes a LED, a bulb and such and is controlled to light up and out by a control unit not shown provided at the circuit board 5. The plurality of light sources 6 emits light to illuminate the indexes of the dial plate 2 and the indicator main body 31 of the indicator 3 and such. Furthermore, one of the plurality of light sources 6 is arranged in the recessed portion 15b of the main body portion 15 of the drive device 4 so as to face the end face 14b of the indicator shaft 14. In this manner, the indicator shaft 14 guides the light which has entered this end face 14b from the light source 6 and directs the light to exit from the end face 14a at the distal end of the indicator shaft 14.
The case 7 includes a reflection face which is a tapered face, i.e. a surface of the tapered portion 7a, so that the light emitted from the light source 6 is reflected toward the dial plate 2. In this manner, the respective indexes provided on the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 emit light. The back cover 8 is attached to the case 7 so as to cover the back of the circuit board 5. The front glass 9 is arranged to cover the dial plate 2 and the indicator 3 and such and attached to the case 7 via an end member 10 using a fixation means not shown such as a latch claw. The back cover 8 and the front glass 9 prevent dust and such from entering inside of the vehicle display device 1.
Next, an example of operation (action) of the indicator (light-emitting indicator) 3 according to the present invention having the above-described structure is explained with reference to
As shown in
The pointing direction reflection face 61 reflects a part L1 of light L received at the light receiving part 42 to the pointing direction S1 (i.e. the left direction in
As illustrated in
Furthermore, as described above, the transmission face 63 is formed into the convexly curved surface which is convex toward the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 from the one end of the transmission face 63 connected to the pointing direction reflection face 61 to the other end of the transmission face 63 connected to the rear end direction reflection face 62. Thus, the incidence angle of the light component L3′, L3″ with respect to the transmission face 63 is adjusted, such that the light component L3′, L3″ is refracted so that the spread angle of the light L3 including the light components L3′, L3″ which has entered the transmission face 63 is increased compared to said spread angle in the case of the transmission face 63 formed into a flat surface. Therefore, the spread angle of the light L3 can be adjusted in a suitable fashion by adjusting the shape of the transmission face 63. In addition, light components other than the light components L3′, L3″ included in the light L3 refract in a similar fashion.
Therefore, the optimization of the spread angle of the light L3 by adjusting the shape of the transmission face 63 can prevent the decrease in the amount of light which exits from the section (i.e. the section between the section R1 and the section R3) located at the extension of the pointing direction reflection face 61 at the upper surface 53 of the indicator part 50. Furthermore, similarly, the decrease in the amount of light which exits from the section (i.e. the section between the section R2 and the section R3) located at the extension of the rear end direction reflection face 62 at the upper surface 53 of the indicator part 50 can be prevented as well. In
As described above, according to the present invention, the hollow reflection part 60 provided at the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 includes the pointing direction reflection face 61, the rear end direction reflection face 62 and the transmission face 63, and this transmission face 63 is formed into the convexly curved surface which is convex toward the upper face of the indicator part 50 from the one end of the transmission face 63 connected to the pointing direction reflection face 61 to the other end of the transmission face 63 connected to the rear end direction reflection face 62. Thus, the incidence angle of the light L3 with respect to the transmission face 63 which had transmitted through each of the pointing direction reflection face 61 and the rear end direction reflection face 62 is adjusted, such that the light L3 is refracted so that the spread angle of the light L3 which has entered the transmission face 63 is increased compared to the spread angle in the case of the transmission face 63 formed into the flat surface. Therefore, the optimization of the spread angle of the light L3 by adjusting the shape of the transmission face 63 can prevent the dark area from being formed around the section located at the extensions of the pointing direction reflection face 61 and the rear end direction reflection face 61 at the upper surface 53 of the indicator part 50. Thus, the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 can be prevented at low cost without providing the light diffusing member or the like.
Furthermore, since the cross-section of the transmission face 63 along the pointing direction S1 is formed into the smooth curved line which is convex toward the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50, the transmission face 63 is formed into the concave lens-like shape, thereby allowing the entered light to spread uniformly in the longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50. Thus, the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 can be prevented even more.
In this embodiment, the terms for indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front and rear are used for purpose of explaining the arrangement of operation of the respective components of the vehicle display device 1, the light-emitting indicator 3 and the indicator main body 31, and thus are used in a relative manner not in an absolute manner. These terms are suitable when the vehicle display device 1, the light-emitting indicator 3, the indicator main body 31 and components thereof are in the shown position. However, when their positions are changed, then these terms should be interpreted differently in accordance with the change in the position.
Furthermore, the shape of the hollow reflection part 60 is not limited to the fan-like shape as described above and may be in any shape without departing from the object of the present invention and as long as it is formed in a hollow shape in the indicator part. Also, the shapes of the pointing direction reflection face 61, the rear end direction reflection face 62 and the transmission face 63 are not limited to the above-described configuration. Especially, the transmission face 63 may be in any shape without departing from the object of the present invention and as long as the transmission face 63 is formed into the curved surface which is convex toward the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 from the one end of the transmission face 63 connected to the pointing direction reflection face 61 to the other end of the transmission face 63 connected to the rear end direction reflection face 62. Herein, the term “convexly curved surface” includes a smoothly curved surface, as well as the combination of a flat surface, a curved surface and a non-spherical surface formed into a substantially curved surface. Furthermore, the pointing direction reflection face 61 and the rear end direction reflection face 62 are formed into a substantially flat surface; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and these respective faces may be formed in a flat surface, a curved surface or a non-spherical surface or a surface formed by the combination these surfaces, or formed by a plurality of faces, or formed in any other shape without departing from the object of the present invention.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the base part 40 is constituted of the base part main body 41 attached to the indicator shaft 14 and the light receiving part 42 which receives the light from the light source 6 guided by the indicator shaft 14; however, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in
Moreover, although this embodiment is described in relation to the vehicle display device as the speed meter, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to an indicator device other than the speed meter such as an engine revolution counter and a fuel level meter, or alternatively, the present invention may be applied for example to an industrial indicator device other than the vehicle display device such as an indicator used for measurement of gas pressure or temperature in a factory. As such, the present invention may be used in any application and any device without departing from the object of the present invention.
The embodiment described above is only representative embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. That is, the present invention can be modified in various ways and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.
(3.8)
In the following, a vehicle display device as one embodiment of an indicator instrument according to the present invention is explained in reference to
In
The dial plate 2 is a member formed into a substantially circular plate shape made of transparent or semi-transparent synthetic resin such as polycarbonate, for example. The surface 2a of the dial plate 2 includes a light-blocking region at which light-blocking ink is printed, and an index as a translucent design formed by removing (or not printing) the light-blocking ink along a shape of a letter and a scale and such. Each index becomes luminous and visible by being irradiated from a back side of the dial plate 2 by the later-described light source 6.
The indicator 3 is arranged adjacent to the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 and is arranged to point to the respective indexes provided at the dial plate 2, thereby displaying a measured value in cooperation with the respective indexes. As shown in
As shown in
The base part 40 includes a circular cylindrical base part main body 41 and a light receiving part 42 arranged at an inner side of the base part main body 41 and arranged adjacent to an upper end 41a. The base part main body 41 is fixed to an indicator shaft 14 in a coaxial fashion by inserting and fitting the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 into a lower end 41b. Thus, a center of the base part main body 41 coincides with a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. The light receiving part 42 is formed into a flat surface having a circular shape identical to the inner side of the base part main body 41 so that when the indicator shaft 14 is fitted to the base part main body 41, the light receiving part 42 is arranged to face an end face 14a of the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 with an interval. Of course, the shape of the light receiving part 42 is not limited to the flat surface and may be a curved surface, a shape formed by combining several faces, or any other shape which can receive the light from the light source. In addition, the light receiving part 42 may be arranged in close contact with the end face 14a of the indicator shaft 14.
The indicator part 50 is formed continuous with an upper end 41a of the base part main body 41 (i.e. one end of the base part 40). The indicator part 50 includes a pointing part 51 extending from the upper end 41a to one direction (i.e. a pointing direction S1) which is perpendicular (or substantially perpendicular) to the shaft center P, and a rearward part 52 extending to the other direction (i.e. a rear end direction S2) which is opposite of said one direction and extending shorter than the pointing part 51, with a boundary at the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. In other words, the indicator part 50 extends from the upper end 41a of the base part main body 41 to each of the pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2. The pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2 match with (or substantially match with) a radial direction of the indicator shaft 14. The pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2 correspond to a longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50. Furthermore, the indicator part 50 is provided with a hollow reflection part 60 as a reflection part.
A bottom face 54, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 facing the base part 40, is provided with a reflection layer 54a which is overlapped to the bottom face 54 and colored in white or silver, for example, using a hot stamping or the like so as to reflect the light entering the bottom face 54 from inside of the indicator part 50. An upper face 53, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 at opposite side of the bottom face 54, is provided with a diffusion layer 53a which is overlapped to the upper face 53 and colored in red, for example, using a hot stamping or the like so as to diffuse the light exiting from the upper face 53. Alternatively, the reflection layer 54a and the diffusion layer 53a may be formed at the bottom face 54 and the upper face 53 by forming embossment or fine prism structure. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reflection layer 54a is provided only at the bottom face 54 and arranged adjacent to the pointing part 51; however, a similar reflection layer 54a may be provided also at the bottom face 54 and arranged adjacent to the rearward part 52. In the following description, the term “bottom face 54” indicates the surface of the indicator part 50 adjacent to the base part 40 including the reflection layer 54a, and the term “upper face 53” indicates the surface of the indicator part 50 at the opposite side of the bottom face 54 including the diffusion layer 53a. Also, the bottom face 54 and the reflection layer 54a, as well as the upper face 53 and the diffusion layer 53a are described distinctively only when necessary. In addition, only one of the reflection layer 54a and the diffusion layer 53a may be provided. Furthermore, the upper face 53 for the indicator part 50 can be divided into an upper face 531 of the pointing part 51 and an upper face 532 of the rearward part 52 with a boundary at the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. In addition, the bottom face 54 of the indicator part 50 corresponds to a bottom face of the pointing part 51.
As shown in
The pointing direction reflection face 61 is formed into a flat surface. The pointing direction reflection face 61 is arranged such that one end thereof at a lower side in the drawing is located adjacent to the base part 40 and is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in a direction of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upper direction in
The rear end direction reflection face 62 is formed into a flat surface. The rear end direction reflection face 62 has one end connected to the one end of the pointing direction reflection face 61 and is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in a direction of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upper direction in
The transmission face 63 is formed into a flat surface and is arranged substantially parallel to the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 so as to face the upper face 53. The transmission face 63 has one end connected to the other end of the pointing direction reflection face 61 at the upper side in the drawing so as to intersect with the pointing direction reflection face 61 and has the other end connected to the other end of the rear end direction reflection face 62 at the upper side in the drawing so as to intersect with the rear end direction reflection face 62. The transmission face 63 is arranged such that a center of the transmission face 63 in the longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50 is positioned on the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. Of course, the transmission face 63 does not have to be substantially parallel to the upper face 53, and also the arrangement of the transmission face 63 is not limited only to the above-described arrangement.
There is provided a notch 56 arranged at the bottom face 54 of the indicator part 50 (i.e. a bottom face of the pointing part 51) facing the base part 40. The notch 56 is formed by cutting out the bottom face 54 so that a cross-sectional shape along the longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50 of the notch 56 is formed into a wedge-like shape having a distal end pointing to an upper face 531 of the pointing part 51. Of course, the cross-sectional shape of the notch 56 may be other than the wedge-like shape such as a trapezoid and a semi-circular shape. Furthermore, the notch 56 is arranged linearly at the bottom face 54 throughout the widthwise direction of the indicator part 50. Also, the notch 56 is arranged right below a section R of the upper face 531 of the pointing part 51 located adjacent to the hollow reflection part 60. The notch 56 includes a first reflection face 56a arranged toward the rear end direction S2 and a second reflection face 56b arranged toward the pointing direction S1. Size and angle of the first reflection face 56a are arranged so that the first reflection face 56a reflects a part of the light L1 reflected by the pointing direction reflection face 61 toward the section R. The first reflection face 56a corresponds to an upward reflection face described in claims.
In this embodiment, the notch 56 is formed by cutting out the bottom face 54 of the indicator part 50 into the wedge-like shape linearly throughout the widthwise direction of the indicator part 50; however the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a wedge-shaped notch 56A having an arc shape which is convex toward the pointing direction S1 as shown in
The indicator main body 31 reflects and transmits the light received at the light receiving part 42 of the base part 40 by the hollow reflection part 60 and guides the light in the indicator part 50 to exit from the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50. By doing so, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 emits light, and thus the upper face 53 becomes luminous and visible through a slit 71 of the cover member 32.
As shown in
The upper cover 33 includes a first cover portion 34 formed into a substantially rectangular tube shape which gets gradually thinner from a rear end 34b toward a distal end 34a in accordance with the outer shape of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31, and a second cover portion 35 formed into a circular dish covering around the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31. The first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 are arranged to open downward in the drawing, and the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 is housed inside from this opening.
An upper wall portion 34c of the first cover portion 34 is provided with the slit 71 extending from the rear end 34b to the distal end 34a. When the indicator main body 31 and the cover member 32 are attached together, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 is exposed from this slit 71 in a straight line fashion throughout in the longitudinal direction of the upper face 53. In other words, the slit 71 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50. The length and the width of the slit 71 may be designed arbitrarily in accordance with the design of the indicator 3, for example. Furthermore, for example, a translucent coloring member or a light diffusing member may be provided in the slit 71, as long as the slit 71 is arranged to pass the light exited from the upper face of the indicator part 50 therethrough. Furthermore, an inner face of the second cover portion 35 is provided with a pair of bosses (not shown) which is formed to protrude downward in the drawing and arranged to fit to a pair of fitting holes 38d of the lower cover 38.
The lower cover 38 includes an annular plate-shaped first cover section 38a formed in accordance with the shape of the opening of the second cover portion 35 of the upper cover 33, a strip-shaped second cover section 38b radially extending from the first cover section 38a and formed in accordance with the shape of the opening at the distal end side portion of the first cover portion 34 of the upper cover 33 which houses the pointing part 51 of the indicator part 50, a penetrating part 38c provided at the first cover section 38a and arranged to pass the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 therethrough, the pair of fitting holes 38d arranged at the first cover section 38a in accordance with the pair of bosses of the upper cover 33, and an attachment boss 38e at which the balance member 39 is attached. When attached to the upper cover 33, the lower cover 38 covers the openings of the first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 to form a space for housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 with the upper cover 33. By housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 in this housing space, the light exited from the surface of the bottom face 54 and such of the indicator part 50 is prevented from irradiating the dial plate 2 and such.
The balance member 39 is formed to have weight which is set in view of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31. The balance member 39 includes a fitting hole 39a arranged to fit to the attachment boss 38e provided at the lower cover 38 of the cover member 32. The balance member 39 is positioned by the attachment boss 38e and housed in the cover member 32.
The indicator 3 having the above-described structure may be assembled as explained below. Firstly, the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 is passed through the penetrating part 38c of the lower cover 38 to install the indicator main body 31 to the lower cover 38 and install the balance member 39 to the lower cover 38. Then, the upper cover 33 is moved closer to the indicator main body 31 from the side of the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 so as to cover the indicator main body 31, and the pair of boss provided in the second cover of the upper cover 33 is fitted into the pair of fitting holes 38d of the lower cover 38, by which the upper cover 33 and the lower cover 38 are fixed to each other so that the indicator main body 31 is housed in the cover member 32, and the assembling is completed.
The drive device 4 is a known stepping motor. The drive device 4 includes the indicator shaft 14 formed into a substantially circular cylindrical shape and made of translucent synthetic resin such as polycarbonate resin and a main body portion 15 arranged to rotatably support the indicator shaft 14 and rotate the indicator shaft 14 on the principle of the stepping motor in accordance with measured quantity of speed obtained by a speed sensor not shown. A bottom face 15a of the main body portion 15 placed over the later-described circuit board 5 is provided with a recessed portion 15b, and an end face 14b of the indicator shaft 14 at the lower side in the drawing is exposed in this recessed portion 15b. The base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 described above is attached to the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 at the upper side in the drawing. The indicator shaft 14 is arranged to rotate the indicator main body 31 and function as the light guide member to guide the light to the base part 40.
The circuit board 5 is a known printed board provided for example with electronic components and a wiring pattern which electrically connects these electronic components and such. A surface of the circuit board 5 facing the dial plate 2 is mounted with the drive device 4 and the plurality of light sources 6.
The plurality of light sources 6 includes a LED, a bulb and such and is controlled to light up and out by a control unit not shown provided at the circuit board 5. The plurality of light sources 6 emits light to illuminate the indexes of the dial plate 2 and the indicator main body 31 of the indicator 3 and such. Furthermore, one of the plurality of light sources 6 is arranged in the recessed portion 15b of the main body portion 15 of the drive device 4 so as to face the end face 14b of the indicator shaft 14. In this manner, the indicator shaft 14 guides the light which has entered this end face 14b from the light source 6 and directs the light to exit from the end face 14a at the distal end of the indicator shaft 14.
The case 7 includes a reflection face which is a tapered face, i.e. a surface of the tapered portion 7a, so that the light emitted from the light source 6 is reflected toward the dial plate 2. In this manner, the respective indexes provided on the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 emit light. The back cover 8 is attached to the case 7 so as to cover the back of the circuit board 5. The front glass 9 is arranged to cover the dial plate 2 and the indicator 3 and such and attached to the case 7 via an end member 10 using a fixation means not shown such as a latch claw. The back cover 8 and the front glass 9 prevent dust and such from entering inside of the vehicle display device 1.
Next, an example of operation (action) of the indicator (light-emitting indicator) 3 according to the present invention having the above-described structure is explained with reference to
In this embodiment, the indicator main body 31 includes the hollow reflection part 60 constituted of the pointing direction reflection face 61, the rear end direction 62 reflection face 62 and the transmission face 63. Furthermore, the indicator main body 31 includes the notch 56 formed by cutting out the bottom face 54 of the indicator part 50 into the wedge-like shape linearly throughout the widthwise direction of the indicator part 50. Since the notch 56 has a notched shape, a section of the pointing part 51 toward the pointing direction S1 than the notch 56 does not become thin, so there is no effect on the size of the pointing part 51. Size and angle of the first reflection face 56a of the notch 56 are arranged so that the first reflection face 56a reflects a part of the light L1 reflected by the pointing direction reflection face 61 toward the section R of the upper face 531 of the pointing part 51 located adjacent to the hollow reflection part 60.
As shown in
When the part of the light L1 enters the first reflection face 56a of the notch 56, it is reflected toward the section R and exits from the section R. Thus, the amount of light exiting from the section R of the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 can be increased, thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at the section R.
As described above, according to the present invention, the indicator main body 31 includes the notch 56 arranged at the bottom face of the indicator part 50 (i.e. the bottom face of the pointing part 51) facing the base part 40 and having the first reflection face 56a which reflects the light reflected by the pointing direction reflection face 61 toward the section R of the upper face 531 of the pointing part 51 at opposite side of the bottom face 54, the section R being located adjacent to the hollow reflection part 60. Thus, without causing the pointing part 51 to be thin by forming the notch 56 into a notched shape, the amount of light exiting from the section R can be increased by the first reflection face 56a of the notch 56 which reflects the part of the light L reflected by the pointing direction reflection face 61 toward the upper face 531 of the pointing part 51. Thus, the formation of the dark area at the section R can be prevented, thereby preventing the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 even more.
In the embodiment described above, there is a space inside of the hollow reflection part 60; however, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in
In this embodiment, the terms for indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front and rear are used for purpose of explaining the arrangement of operation of the respective components of the vehicle display device 1, the light-emitting indicator 3 and the indicator main body 31, and thus are used in a relative manner not in an absolute manner. These terms are suitable when the vehicle display device 1, the light-emitting indicator 3, the indicator main body 31 and components thereof are in the shown position. However, when their positions are changed, then these terms should be interpreted differently in accordance with the change in the position.
Furthermore, the shape of the hollow reflection part 60 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the hollow reflection part may be formed into a fan-like shape formed by a flat-shaped pointing direction reflection face, a flat-shaped rear end direction reflection face and a curved transmission face which is curved so as to swell toward an upper face of the indicator part, or may be formed into a polygonal shape other than a triangle, or any other shape without departing from the object of the present invention, as long as the hollow reflection part includes the pointing direction reflection face, the rear end reflection face and the transmission face and is formed into a hollow at the indicator part. Moreover, the shapes of the pointing direction reflection face 61, the rear end direction reflection face 62 and the transmission face 63 is not limited to the above-described configuration and the each face may be formed in a flat surface, a curved surface or a non-spherical surface or a surface formed by the combination these surfaces, or formed by a plurality of faces, or formed in any other shape without departing from the object of the present invention.
Similarly, the first reflection face 56a of the notch 56 may be formed in a flat surface, a curved surface or a non-spherical surface or a surface formed by the combination these surfaces, or formed by a plurality of faces. Also, the number of the notch 56 is not limited to one. For example, a plurality of notches 56 may be provided so that the plurality of notches 56 is arranged in parallel along the pointing direction S1.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the base part 40 is constituted of the base part main body 41 attached to the indicator shaft 14 and the light receiving part 42 which receives the light from the light source 6 guided by the indicator shaft 14; however, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in
Moreover, although this embodiment is described in relation to the vehicle display device as the speed meter, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to an indicator device other than the speed meter such as an engine revolution counter and a fuel level meter, or alternatively, the present invention may be applied for example to an industrial indicator device other than the vehicle display device such as an indicator used for measurement of gas pressure or temperature in a factory. As such, the present invention may be used in any application and any device without departing from the object of the present invention.
The embodiment described above is only representative embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. That is, the present invention can be modified in various ways and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.
(4.8)
In the following, a vehicle display device as one embodiment of an indicator instrument according to the present invention is explained in reference to
In
The dial plate 2 is a member formed into a substantially circular plate shape made of transparent or semi-transparent synthetic resin such as polycarbonate, for example. The surface 2a of the dial plate 2 includes a light-blocking region at which light-blocking ink is printed, and an index as a translucent design formed by removing (or not printing) the light-blocking ink along a shape of a letter and a scale and such. Each index becomes luminous and visible by being irradiated from a back side of the dial plate 2 by the later-described light source 6b.
The indicator 3 is arranged adjacent to the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 and is arranged to point to the respective indexes provided at the dial plate 2, thereby displaying a measured value in cooperation with the respective indexes. As shown in
As shown in
The base part 40 includes a shaft receiving part 41 arranged to be fixed at an end of the indicator shaft 14 and a light receiving part 42 arranged to receive light guided in the indicator shaft 14 fixed at the shaft receiving part 41. In this embodiment, the base part 40 is formed into a hollow circular cylindrical shape; however, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the outer shape of the base part 40 may be formed into a substantially rectangular cylinder.
The shaft receiving part 41 is arranged at the base part 40 and is fixed to the indicator shaft 14 by inserting and fitting the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 into the shaft receiving part 41. Thus, the base part 40 fixed to the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 rotates in accordance with the rotational movement of the indicator shaft 14 and is a rotation center of the indicator main body 31. That is, a center of the base part main body 41 coincides with a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14.
The light receiving part 42 is formed into a flat surface having a circular shape identical to shaft receiving part 41. When the indicator shaft 14 is fitted to the shaft receiving part 41, the light receiving part 42 is arranged to face an end face 14a of the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 with an interval. In this embodiment, by forming a space 43 inside of the shaft receiving part 41 between the light receiving part 42 and the end face 14a of the indicator shaft 14, the light exited from the end face 14a of the indicator shaft 14 is diffused in the space 43. However, alternatively, the light receiving part 42 may be in close contact with the end face 14a of the indicator shaft 14. In addition, the shape of the light receiving part 42 may be different from the shaft receiving part 41 or may be the shape other than flat surface.
The indicator part 50 is formed continuous with one end of the base part 40 at which the light receiving part 42 is formed. As shown in
The upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 is provided with a diffusion layer 53a so as to diffuse light exiting from the upper face 53 to outside of the indicator main body 31. The diffusion layer 53a may be formed by using a coloring process such as hot stamping, printing, painting, two-color formation or the like, or by forming embossment or fine prism structure at a surface. Furthermore, a bottom face 54 of the indicator part 50 at opposite side of the upper face 53 is provided with a reflection layer 54a arranged to reflect light which had entered to the bottom face 54 from the indicator part 50. The reflection layer 54a is formed in a similar manner as the diffusion layer 53a. At least one of the diffusion layer 53a and the reflection layer 54a may be omitted from the indicator main body 31.
As shown in
The pointing direction reflection face 61 is arranged such that one end thereof at a lower side in the drawing is located adjacent to the base part 40 and is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in a direction of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upper direction in
The rear end direction reflection face 62 has one end connected to the one end of the pointing direction reflection face 61 in an intersecting fashion and is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in a direction of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upper direction in
The transmission face 63 has one end connected to the other end of the pointing direction reflection face 61 at the upper side in the drawing and the other end connected to the other end of the rear end direction reflection face 62 at the upper side in the drawing. That is, the transmission face 63 is connected to each of the pointing direction reflection face 61 and the rear end direction reflection face 62. The transmission face 63 is arranged to face the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50. In this embodiment, the transmission face 63 and the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 are substantially parallel to each other. However, alternatively, the transmission face 63 and the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 may be arranged other than the parallel form. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a center of the transmission face 63 in the longitudinal direction (i.e. the left-right direction in
As shown in
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 includes both of the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 and the second reflection part for indicator shaft 72. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the arrangement in which the dark area is formed only at the upper face 53 adjacent to the pointing direction S1 near the hollow reflection part 60, the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 alone may be provided at the indicator main body 31, or, alternatively, in the arrangement in which the dark area is formed only at the upper face 53 adjacent to the rear end direction S2 near the hollow reflection part 60, the second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 alone may be provided at the indicator main body 31, or various other arrangements are possible.
The first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 is formed continuous from the base part 40 adjacent to the pointing direction S1 to the pointing part 51 so that light L4 traveling from the indicator shaft 14 to the outside of the base part 40 is reflected toward the upper face 53 of the pointing part 51 adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face 61. Here, the light L4 traveling from the indicator shaft 14 to the outside of the base part 40 means the light traveling in a direction of leaking from the indicator shaft 14 to the outside of the base part 40.
The first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 includes a light guide part 73 formed continuous from the base part 40 to the pointing part 51 and guides the light L4 traveling to the outside of the base part 40 from the indicator shaft 14, and an reflection face for indicator shaft 74 reflecting the light guided in the light guide part 73 toward the upper face 53 of the pointing part 51 adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face 61.
The light guide part 73 is formed as a slanted part formed from a surface near a central portion of the base part 40 located at the side of the pointing direction S1 to the bottom face 54 of the pointing part 51 adjacent to the base part 40. The reflection face for indicator shaft 74 corresponds to a surface of the light guide part 73. In this embodiment, the reflection face for indicator shaft 74 may be formed into a flat surface; however, alternatively the reflection face for indicator shaft 74 may be formed into a curved surface, a spherical surface and such. Furthermore, by providing a reflection layer at the reflection face for indicator shaft 74, the amount of light reflected toward the upper face 53 of the pointing part 51 adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face 61 can be increased. In addition, it is not necessary to direct all of the light reflected by the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 toward the dark area, and depending on the degree of the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face of the indicator, the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 may be formed such that a part of the light from the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 is directed to enter the pointing direction reflection face 61 of the hollow reflection part 60 and be reflected toward the direction of the distal end of the pointing part 51.
The second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 is formed continuous from the base part 40 to the rearward part 52 so that light L4 traveling from the indicator shaft 14 to the outside of the base part 40 is reflected toward the upper face 53 of the rearward part 52 adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face 62. The second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 is arranged in a similar manner as the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71, and includes a light guide part 75 and an reflection face for indicator shaft 76.
The light guide part 75 is formed as a slanted part formed from a surface near a central portion of the base part 40 located at the side of the rearward direction S2 to the bottom face 54 of the rearward part 52 adjacent to the base part 40. The reflection face for indicator shaft 76 corresponds to a surface of the light guide part 75. In this embodiment, the reflection face for indicator shaft 76 is formed into a flat surface; however, alternatively the reflection face for indicator shaft 76 may be formed into a curved surface, a spherical surface and such. Furthermore, by providing a reflection layer at the reflection face for indicator shaft 76, the amount of light reflected toward the upper face 53 of the rearward part 52 adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face 62 can be increased. In addition, it is not necessary to direct all of the light reflected by the second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 toward the dark area, and depending on the degree of the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face of the indicator, the second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 may be formed such that a part of the light from the second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 is directed to enter the rear end direction reflection face 62 of the hollow reflection part 60 and be reflected toward the direction of the distal end of the rearward part 52.
The above-described indicator main body 31 reflects and transmits the light received at the light receiving part 42 of the base part 40 from the indicator shaft 14 by the hollow reflection part 60 and guides the light in the indicator part 50 to exit from the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50. By doing so, the light exited from the upper face 53 becomes luminous and visible to a driver and such.
As shown in
The upper cover 33 includes a first cover portion 34 formed into a substantially rectangular tube shape which gets gradually thinner from a rear end 34b toward a distal end 34a in accordance with the outer shape of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31, and a second cover portion 35 formed into a circular dish covering around the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31. The first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 are arranged to open downward in the drawing, and the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 is housed inside from this opening.
An upper wall portion 34c of the first cover portion 34 is provided with the slit 71 extending from the rear end 34b to the distal end 34a. When the indicator main body 31 and the cover member 32 are attached together, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 is exposed from this slit 71 in a straight line fashion. In other words, the slit 71 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50. The length and the width of the slit 71 may be designed arbitrarily in accordance with the design of the indicator 3, for example. Furthermore, an inner face of the second cover portion 35 is provided with a pair of bosses (not shown) which is formed to protrude downward in the drawing and arranged to fit to a pair of fitting holes 38d of the lower cover 38.
The lower cover 38 includes an annular plate-shaped first cover section 38a formed in accordance with the shape of the opening of the second cover portion 35 of the upper cover 33, a strip-shaped second cover section 38b radially extending from the first cover section 38a and formed in accordance with the shape of the opening at the distal end side portion of the first cover portion 34 of the upper cover 33 which houses the pointing part 51 of the indicator part 50, a penetrating part 38c provided at the first cover section 38a and arranged to pass the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 therethrough, the pair of fitting holes 38d arranged at the first cover section 38a in accordance with the pair of bosses of the upper cover 33, and an attachment boss 38e at which the balance member 39 is attached. When attached to the upper cover 33, the lower cover 38 covers the openings of the first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 to form a space for housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 with the upper cover 33. By housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 in this housing space, the light exited from the surface of the bottom face 54 and such of the indicator part 50 is prevented from irradiating the dial plate 2 and such.
The balance member 39 is formed to have weight which is set in view of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31. The balance member 39 includes a fitting hole 39a arranged to fit to the attachment boss 38e provided at the lower cover 38 of the cover member 32. The balance member 39 is positioned by the attachment boss 38e and housed in the cover member 32.
The indicator 3 having the above-described structure may be assembled as explained below. Firstly, the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 is passed through the penetrating part 38c of the lower cover 38 to install the indicator main body 31 to the lower cover 38 and install the balance member 39 to the lower cover 38. Then, the upper cover 33 is moved closer to the indicator main body 31 from the side of the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 so as to cover the indicator main body 31, and the pair of boss provided in the second cover of the upper cover 33 is fitted into the pair of fitting holes 38d of the lower cover 38, by which the upper cover 33 and the lower cover 38 are fixed to each other so that the indicator main body 31 is housed in the cover member 32, and the assembling is completed.
The drive device 4 is a known stepping motor. As shown in
The circuit board 5 is a known printed board provided for example with electronic components and a wiring pattern which electrically connects these electronic components and such. A surface of the circuit board 5 facing the dial plate 2 is mounted with the drive device 4 and the plurality of light sources 6.
The plurality of light sources 6a, 6b includes a LED and such and is controlled to light up and out by a control unit not shown provided at the circuit board 5. The light source 6a for illuminating the indicator emits light which is guided in the indicator shaft 14 of the drive device 4. The light source 6a is arranged in the recessed portion 15b of the main body portion 15 of the drive device 4 so as to face the end face 14b of the indicator shaft 14. In this manner, the indicator shaft 14 guides the light which has entered to this end face 14b from the light source 6 and directs the light to exit from the end face 14a at the distal end of the indicator shaft 14. Furthermore, the plurality of light sources 6b emits light to illuminate the indexes of the dial plate 2 and the indicator main body 31 of the indicator 3 and such.
The case 7 includes a reflection face which is a tapered face, i.e. a surface of the tapered portion 7a, so that the light emitted from the light source 6b is reflected toward the dial plate 2. In this manner, the respective indexes provided on the surface 2a of the dial plate 2 emit light. The back cover 8 is attached to the case 7 so as to cover the back of the circuit board 5. The front glass 9 is arranged to cover the dial plate 2 and the indicator 3 and such and attached to the case 7 via an end member 10 using a fixation means not shown such as a latch claw. The back cover 8 and the front glass 9 prevent dust and such from entering inside of the vehicle display device 1.
Next, an example of operation of the indicator (light-emitting indicator) 3 according to the present invention having the above-described structure is explained with reference to
When the light source 6a is lighted up by the vehicle display device 1, the light emitted by the light source 6a is guided in the indicator shaft 14, and a part of the light which corresponds to the light L is directed out to the space 43 inside of the base part 40 of the indicator 3. Then, such partial light L is received at the light receiving part 42 and guided in the indicator part 50. The light L1 which is guided toward the pointing direction reflection face 61 of the hollow reflection part 60 is reflected by the pointing direction reflection face 61 toward the distal end of the pointing part 51 and guided in the pointing part 51, thereby allowing a light exit region E11 located at the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the pointing part 51 to be luminous in an uniform fashion.
Among the above-described light L which is received in the indicator part 50, light L2 which is guided toward the rear end direction reflection face 62 of the hollow reflection part 60 is reflected by the rear end direction reflection face 62 toward the rear end of the rearward part 52 and guided in the rearward part 52, thereby allowing a light exit region E12 located at the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the rearward part 52 to be luminous in an uniform fashion.
Among the above-described light L which is received in the indicator part 50, light L3 which has transmitted through the pointing direction reflection face 61 and the rear end direction reflection face 62 of the hollow reflection part 60 transmits through the transmission face 63 of the hollow reflection part 60, thereby allowing a light exit region E13 located at the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 facing the hollow reflection part 60 to be luminous in an uniform fashion.
Light L4 which travels from the indicator shaft 14 toward an outside of the light receiving part 42 in the pointing direction S1 is guided in the light guide part 73 of the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 and allows a light exit region E14 at the upper face 53 of the pointing part 51 located adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face 61 to be luminous by the reflection face for indicator shaft 74. In other words, the light L4 traveling to the outside of the light receiving part 42 is allowed to exit from the light exit region E14 located between the light exit regions E11 and E13 at which the light from the light receiving part 42 and the pointing direction reflection face 61 hardly exit.
Light L5 which travels from the indicator shaft 14 toward an outside of the light receiving part 42 in the rear end direction S2 is guided in the light guide part 75 of the second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 and allows a light exit region E15 at the upper face 53 of the rearward part 52 located adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face 62 to be luminous by the reflection face for indicator shaft 76. In other words, the light L5 traveling to the outside of the light receiving part 42 is allowed to exit from the light exit region E15 located between the light exit regions E13 and E12 at which the light from the light receiving part 42 and the pointing direction reflection face 61 hardly exit.
Thus, all of the continuous light exit regions E11 to E15 at the upper face 53 of the indicator main body 31 can emit light with the uniform brightness, and thus the upper face 53 of the indicator main body 31 can be luminous without producing non-uniformity in the brightness. The light which exited from the upper face 53 of the indicator main body 31 exits from the slit 71 of the cover member 32 toward a driver and such. In this manner, the driver and such visibly recognizes that the slit 71 of the cover member 32 is uniformly emitting the light.
According to the indicator main body (i.e. indicator member) 31 of the present invention, there is provided the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 which is formed continuously from the base part 40 to the pointing part 51 and which is arranged to reflect the light L4, which is traveling toward the outside of the base part 40 from the indicator shaft 14 fixed to the shaft receiving part 41 of the base part 40, toward the upper face of the pointing part 50 adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face 61. Thus, the light leaking from the base part 40 to the outside of the indicator main body 31 can be reduced, and also, that light L4 can be guided to the upper face of the pointing part 51 adjacent to the end of the pointing direction reflection face 61, thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face 53 of the pointing part 51. Therefore, the non-uniformity in brightness at the upper face (light emitting face) 53 of the indicator main body 31 can be prevented. Furthermore, there is no need to provide at the pointing direction reflection face 61 the light diffusing component for preventing the formation of the dark area at the upper face 53 of the pointing part 51, thereby reducing the number of components and reducing the cost of the indicator main body 31.
According to the above-described indicator main body 31, the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 is constituted of the light guide part 73 and the reflection face for indicator shaft 74. Thus, the light traveling from the indicator shaft 14 toward the outside of the pointing part 51 can be guided to the pointing part 51 and the reflection face for indicator shaft 74 by the light guide part 73, thereby further reducing the light leaking from the base part 40 to the outside of the indicator main body 31.
According to the indicator main body described above, there is provided the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 which is formed continuously from the base part 40 to the rearward part 52 and which is arranged to reflect the light L5, which is traveling toward the outside of the base part 40 at the side of the rear end direction S2 from the indicator shaft 14 fixed to the shaft receiving part 41 of the base part 40, toward the upper face of the rearward part 52 adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face 62. Thus, the light leaking from the base part 40 to the outside of the indicator main body 31 can be reduced, and also, that light can be guided to the rearward part 52 adjacent to the end of the rear end direction reflection face 62, thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face 53 of the rearward part 52. Therefore, the non-uniformity in brightness at the upper face 53 of the indicator main body 31 from the distal end of the pointing part 51 to the rear end of the rearward part 52 can be prevented. Thus, the upper face 53 of the indicator main body 31 can be luminous with uniform brightness.
Furthermore, for the above-described indicator main body 31, the reflection face for indicator shaft 74 of the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 may be provided with a plurality of partial reflection faces 74a, 74b, 74c which are aligned along the widthwise direction of the pointing part 51, as shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
For example, the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 may be provided with a light guide part 77, the reflection face for slit 78 and an exit face 79. The light guide part 77 is formed into a tapered shaped slanted part projecting from the surface of the central portion of the base part 40 toward the inner face of the upper cover 33. The reflection face for slit 78 is a slanted face of the light guide part 77 which reflects the light toward a portion at the upper face 53 of the indicator main body 31 at which the non-uniformity in brightness is produced. As shown in
The exit face 79 is arranged to allow the light L6 which is reflected on the reflection face for slit 78 to travel toward the slit 71. The light L6 exited from the exit face 79 once again enters the indicator main body 31 from the hollow reflection part 60 and is guided in the indicator main body 31 and exits toward the slit 71, or is reflected on the inner face of the upper cover 33 toward the slit 71. By employing such reflection part 70 for indicator shaft, the brightness of the slit 71 adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face 61 can be prevented from being dark, thus the entire slit 71 can emit light with uniform brightness in a more reliable fashion.
Furthermore, the size and shape of the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 can be adjusted by the degree and the range of the dark area formed at the upper face 53 of the indicator main body 31. For example, the light traveling from the indicator shaft 14 toward the outside of the base part 40 can be reflected toward a desired location of the slit 71 by forming the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 into a convex surface as shown in the cross-sectional view of
As described above, by combining the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 and the second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 as well as the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 projecting in the widthwise direction of the indicator main body 31, the light traveling from the indicator shaft 14 toward the outside of the base part 40 can be effectively utilized even more, thereby preventing the dark area being formed at the slit 71.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 and the second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 are provided to both sides, i.e. the pointing direction S1 side and the rear end direction S2 side, of the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31. However, in the present invention, the present invention may be applied to the indicator main body 31 having only the pointing part 51 extending from one end of the base part 40 to the pointing direction S1 and in which the above-described rearward part 52 is omitted, as shown in
The indicator main body 31 of the indicator 3 shown in
Therefore, the indicator shown in
For the arrangement of the indicator 3 having only the pointing part 51 as shown in
Moreover, although this embodiment is described in relation to the vehicle display device as the speed meter, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to an indicator device other than the speed meter such as an engine revolution counter and a fuel level meter, or alternatively, the present invention may be applied for example to an industrial indicator device other than the vehicle display device such as an indicator used for measurement of gas pressure or temperature in a factory. As such, the present invention may be used in any application and any device without departing from the object of the present invention.
The embodiment described above is only representative embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. That is, the present invention can be modified in various ways and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-014244 | Jan 2011 | JP | national |
| 2011-014245 | Jan 2011 | JP | national |
| 2011-014246 | Jan 2011 | JP | national |
| 2011-015017 | Jan 2011 | JP | national |
This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/980,945 filed Jul. 22, 2013 which claims the right of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 based on Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2011-015017 filed Jan. 27, 2011; 2011-014246 filed Jan. 26, 2011; JAPAN 2011-014245 filed Jan. 26, 2011 and JAPAN 2011-014244 filed Jan. 26, 2011.
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| Entry |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170059371 A1 | Mar 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13980945 | US | |
| Child | 15349366 | US |
